According to the Bible, a man must fulfil any
vows he might make to God. He must not break his word. On the other hand, a woman's vow is
not necessarily binding on her. It has to be approved by her father, if she is living in
his house, or by her husband, if she is married. If a father/husband does not endorse his
daughter's/wife's vows, all pledges made by her become null and void:

"But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of her
vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand ....Her husband may confirm
or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn pledge to deny herself" (Num.
30:2-15)

Why is it that a woman's word is not binding per se ? The
answer is simple: because she is owned by her father, before marriage, or by her husband
after marriage. The father's control over his daughter was absolute to the extent that,
should he wish, he could sell her! It is indicated in the writings of the Rabbis that: "The
man may sell his daughter, but the woman may not sell her daughter; the man may betroth
his daughter, but the woman may not betroth her daughter."17 The Rabbinic literature also indicates that marriage represents the
transfer of control from the father to the husband: "betrothal, making a woman the
sacrosanct possession--the inviolable property-- of the husband..." Obviously, if
the woman is considered to be the property of someone else, she cannot make any pledges
that her owner does not approve of.

It is of interest to note that this Biblical instruction
concerning women's vows has had negative repercussions on Judaeo-Christian women till
early in this century. A married woman in the Western world had no legal status. No act of
hers was of any legal value. Her husband could repudiate any contract, bargain, or deal
she had made. Women in the West (the largest heir of the Judaeo-Christian legacy) were
held unable to make a binding contract because they were practically owned by someone
else. Western women had suffered for almost two thousand years because of the Biblical
attitude towards women's position vis-à-vis their fathers and husbands. 18

In Islam, the vow of every Muslim, male or female, is binding
on him/her. No one has the power to repudiate the pledges of anyone else. Failure to keep
a solemn oath, made by a man or a woman, has to be expiated as indicated in the Quran:

"He [God] will call you to account for your
deliberate oaths: for expiation, feed ten indigent persons, on a scale of the average for
the food of your families; Or clothe them; or give a slave his freedom. If that is beyond
your means, fast for three days. That is the expiation for the oaths you have sworn. But
keep your oaths" (Quran 5:89).

Companions of the Prophet Muhammad, men and women, used to
present their oath of allegiance to him personally. Women, as well as men, would
independently come to him and pledge their oaths:

"O Prophet, When believing women come to you to make
a covenant with you that they will not associate in worship anything with God, nor steal,
nor fornicate, nor kill their own children, nor slander anyone, nor disobey you in any
just matter, then make a covenant with them and pray to God for the forgiveness of their
sins. Indeed God is Forgiving and most Merciful" (Quran 60:12).

A man could not swear the oath on behalf of his daughter or
his wife. Nor could a man repudiate the oath made by any of his female relatives.